Braids
by WinnerGrey
Summary: Lily's new hairstyle evokes an interesting conversation between her and James.


A/N: Hi, everyone! This is my very first Harry Potter fanfiction, so I'm a bit nervous about it. It's sort of fluffy and somewhat unrealistic, but I had some fun writing it. Thanks for reading, guys, and _please_ drop in a review when you finish- I would be really grateful.

* * *

It was 7:30 in the morning, and Lily Evans was having a bad day.

It was Monday, for one, which meant getting up early for the first time of the week- something that Lily was dreadful at.

As if being Monday weren't enough, the Transfiguring Charm Lily had placed on her alarm clock the night before (changing the clock into a cat to claw on her arm if she tried to press the "Sleep" button) had completely backfired. The transfigured cat had leaped upon Lily's head, had clawed her face into a red, puffy mess and had tugged her hair into a catastrophic explosion of fiery puffs.

As a result of this, Lily had been forced to let Alice apply a few thick layers of the make-up that she hated wearing, although it didn't completely conceal the marks of the early morning mauling.

But the very worst part of the day for Lily was having to put her hair into braids.

"Alice, isn't there any other way?" Lily moaned, flopping onto her friend's bed, burying her face in the red sheets and clutching at her equally scarlet out-of-control tresses.

"Darling, I'm so sorry," Alice said mournfully, surveying her friend's sorry state. "I know you haven't worn braids since-"

"Since_ second year_, Alice! Everyone's going to think I somehow got hold of a Time Turner and for some reason decided to go back four years!" Lily all but sobbed into the bedclothes. "I can't go out into public like that, I just can't."

"Lil, I don't think you can go out into public like _this_, either," Alice said, her eyes scraping over the painful image of Lily's appearance.

"Fine." Lily sat up so abruptly Alice jumped back a few inches. "But this is all your fault, you know."

"It bloody well isn't!" Alice responded, treading carefully over the her bed and sitting next to Lily, turning her head and dividing her hair into two separate sections. "It's not my fault you were so pissed on that disgusting caffeine drink last night you couldn't even perform a simple transfiguring spell."

"Well...well..." Lily struggled with a retort.

"And it certainly isn't my fault you were up until ungodly hours of the night talking to yourself about how much you 'hate' Potter," Alice continued, pulling at Lily's hair and looping it around itself, forming a neat braid.

Lily whipped around. "You heard that?" she asked in a deadly whisper.

"Yes..." Alice said carefully, feeling a bit like James herself as Lily's accusing eyes bored into her, alive with anger.

"You...you..."

"Lils, I've known you for nearly seven years. You don't honestly think that I'm blissfully unaware of your little nighttime talks with yourself anymore, do you?"

"Well, I really don't see how it's so interesting. All I do is say what I tell you all the time- that I hate him."

"Well, not exactly," Alice replied, tugging a smile from her lips. "I did hear something about him being madly attractive..."

"Just _braid_, Alice!" Lily nearly shouted, color rising in her neck.

"I'm done," Alice replied. "And really, hon, it doesn't look to bad." Lily conjured a mirror (she had punched a hole through her old one that morning when she had first seen her reflection) and took a look at herself.

"Lils?" Alice said tentatively as Lily stared unblinkingly into her own green eyes. Then, a small, beady tear crept over Lily's bottom lashes and continued down her thin cheek, leaving a shining path behind it.

Alice rolled her eyes and grabbed her friend's hand. "Come on, dear. Let's just go to breakfast."

* * *

"You know, Alice, these braids might not be such a bad thing," Lily babbled somewhat tearfully as the pair descended the staircase down to the Gryffindor Common Room. "I mean, with all this makeup you have caked onto my face, people might not even recognize me. They might not be able to tell it's me under all of this shit."

Alice eyed Lily's telltale red hair suspiciously, pondering what her friend's drunken sadness was making her say.

"Perhaps," Alice said, her tone airy.

"Honestly, who's to say? I might start a new trend!" Lily warbled on. "I bet right now, everyone in this very room is saying 'Who's that new girl-"

"Evans! What died on your face this morning?" Lily and Alice swiveled around to find themselves standing face to face with none other than Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.

"A _cat _did, Sirius. Okay?" Alice replied calmly as Lily started hyperventilating next to her. "And it's a bit of a sensitive subject right now, so could you please refrain from mentioning her face again? Thanks very much." She grabbed a very clammy Lily's arm and started pulling her towards the portrait hole when Sirius asked:

"Well, did it piss in her hair first? It looks horrible today- no offense, Lily." A lopsided grin began to curve Sirius's handsome mouth. "Wonder how our dear little Jamie will react when he sees _this_ in the hallway today-"

Before Sirius could utter another world, Lily had spun around, grabbed Sirius's robes, and pulled his close very close to hers. "Don't. You. Dare. Tell. James. About. This." Although Lily's skin had been a funny grey colour all morning, she looked healthy next to Sirius's completely white complexion. She gave Sirius a small shake before speaking again. "Don't you _dare_, Sirius Black. If you do, I will break into your dormitory tonight and set your disgusting little arse on FiendFyre. Got it?" He could do nothing but nod

Lily released Sirius, who fell back several feet and clutched at his heart as though it was having palpations. Alice shrugged apologetically at Sirius and nodded goodbye at Peter, who was chewing his grubby fingernails and who looked very alarmed indeed.

"Come along Alice. We have places to be." Lily turned with her nose in the air and climbed out the portrait hole, Alice following in her wake, completely shellshocked.

* * *

It had been a long day for both Lily and Alice- though not nearly as long as expected. Due to the incident earlier in the morning with Sirius, Lily had been somewhat more confident about her appearance during the day- and although there had been a few encounters which brought Lily to tears (Alice had provided her ever-steady shoulder to cry on) people had generally chosen not to say anything to Lily about her new hairstyle- that is, those who knew that her temper was as fiery as her hair.

Once the pair had finished dinner, Lily headed to the Prefect's meeting scheduled for that night and Alice left for homework.

As Lily walked quietly through the deserted corridors, she examined her flickering shadow upon the stone walls. Once she thought about it, her hair didn't really look too dreadful this way; although the braids made her chin appear at an odd angle, and made her nose seem pointier than it really was, she felt fresher, tighter, with her hair tugging powerfully on her on her scalp.

LIly turned a corner, feeling a spring develop in her step when-

"Evans! Lovely to see you!" There stood James Potter, his hair ruffled, hazel eyes shining in the late candlelight.

Any thoughts of how attractive her braids were slid out of Lily's head as quickly as Madame Pomfrey could cure a broken bone. Her hands flew up to her face just a moment too late, in a pathetic attempt to hide her identity.

"Lily? There's no point in doing that, really. I know it's you."

Lily groaned and peeked through her fingers at James, who was looking at her curiously.

"Look, James, I'm really not in the mood right now, okay? I've had people make fun of me all day. But it's not even my fault! It was this drink, and then the cat clawed me and wouldn't stop, and then I had to put _gunk_ on my face and Alice said I couldn't go out in public unless I looked twelve years old again..."

James looked utterly confused.

"Why am I even telling you this? I have a meeting to get to." She made to push past James, but her caught her by her shoulders and gently pushed her back in front of him.

"Were you afraid that I was going to make fun of you for your braids?" James asked, his voice thick with humor.

Lily looked at him tearfully. "_Yes_, I was."

"Lily, I _like_ your hair like this. I've been wanting to tell you all day."

Lily looked at James for a moment. "I _knew_ it." She said in a dangerously soft voice. "I knew Sirius would tell you to make fun of me for this! You don't by any chance know the spell to conjure FiendFyre, do you?"

James looked frightened. "What? No! I haven't even seen Sirius today! Don't go...setting him on fire, or anything. He didn't tell me anything."

"Well, how did you know I had braids today, then? I've been avoiding you all day."

James grinned. "Well, I don't see how you thought you would succeed. We have three classes together."

"Well, I was hoping that you-"

"Would notice? Lily, I always notice you."

Lily looked very uncomfortable. "Well, I don't see how anyone in their right mind could_ like_ my hair like this. It looks awful."

"No, it doesn't," James replied, looking her in the eye. Lily shifted her gaze but James determinedly moved his head with hers, forcing her to look at him.

"Oh really, James? Then why has everyone been saying I look horrible today? Sirius said it looked like something had died on my head this morning."

"Well, he's stupid. Everyone's stupid."

"Maybe you're stupid."

"No, Lily, I'm not." James shifted closer to Lily. She regarded him stiffly. "The braids make your eyes look bigger, which is good because it seems like they're always squinting cynically at someone. Namely me."

Lily squinted at him. James rolled his eyes.

"They make your face look rounder. Your face always seems so drawn down by...well, I don't know exactly. But it seems like you're always carrying someone else's worries around."

James looked her square in the face. "They make your forehead seem smooth again, like it was when we were little." He brushed his fingertips against the taut skin of her forehead. "See? No wrinkles. And they make your skin seem softer. More vulnerable. I don't know. You look younger, or something."

Lily didn't say anything. James drew away from her, his hand falling from her forehead. He shrugged and started to turn around.

"James?" Lily said in a small voice.

"Yeah?" he replied a little too quickly.

"Thanks. For everything. That was...nice." She laid a hand on his arm and gave a little smile. He smiled back. "And James?" she said, moving closer. "You look nice today, too." Their faces were very close now.

"Thanks," he breathed, his golden eyes meeting her leaf-green ones.

Hesitantly, he reached up and twined his hands through her braids. Lily put her hands on her shoulders and slowly, they brought their mouths together in a thin, sweet, innocent kiss. Lily smiled against James's mouth as she felt his hands moving through her hair.

* * *

A/N: I don't really know about this one. But after all, it's my first Harry Potter fic, so any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!


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